S-Class Dungeon’s Mistress - Chapter 185

Chapter 185

'How can such power exist...!'

Uriel twisted her body wildly in excruciating pain.

It was unbelievable. Though her magical power was comparatively weak among famous demons, she was by no means someone who should be overpowered by a mere upper-level demon, let alone a succubus.

Yet now she was undeniably being crushed by Adelaide's power. The depth of the wounds etched across her skin was evidence that Adelaide's magic was far stronger than her own.

No, this can't be happening, no!

Uriel drove her long nails into Adelaide's neck, a final desperate act of rebellion. Blood spilled from her mouth.

Adelaide merely frowned, not loosening her magical whip. Instead, she intensified her magical output, driving Uriel further into desperation.

"Kuuuugh...!"

Blood burst between her scarlet lips again. Uriel rolled her eyes, contorting her body's joints grotesquely. Her toes curled from the extreme pain.

The magic penetrating her body was far beyond what an upper-level demon could possess. With a consciousness that seemed on the verge of breaking, she desperately tried to comprehend the source of this abnormal power.

The realization came soon after.

'Helheim.'

The succubus before her had obtained Helheim.

Theoretically impossible, but the pain she was experiencing and the unreasonable amount of energy proved it. Her sudden increase in power and her recent absence from the dungeon were undoubtedly related to this.

Crunch. Uriel bit down hard on her molars.

Frustration welled up like a flood. She had maintained her position through pure effort, and this opponent had simply been lucky enough to obtain Helheim and use it to suppress her. Absolutely unacceptable.

But Adelaide never intended to accommodate Uriel's understanding. She simply wanted to kill Uriel, even if it meant enduring having her own body torn apart.

At this rate, Uriel would soon breathe her last, and the war would end. Every demon watching the fierce battle between the two dungeon lords thought the same—Uriel and Adelaide were no exception.

'I cannot die like this.'

Uriel's eyes turned blood-red as her body trembled. How could she have built this dungeon? How could she have risen to this position? All of it cannot end so pathetically.

If that's the case—

Suddenly, a strange light flickered in her eyes. Simultaneously, a viscous magical energy began to boil like molten metal across her blood-stained skin.

This was an energy different from anything before. Adelaide stiffened. In her field of vision, corpses began melting one by one from a considerable distance.

"Adel!"

Lisianthus's voice suddenly rang out nearby. Before she could react, an explosion pierced her eardrums and shook the entire castle.

Kwaaaang!

Adelaide involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut from the massive head-spinning sensation.

Though scorching heat seemed to rush in at high speed, strangely, it didn't hurt much.

When she opened her eyes, a broad back filled her vision. Long hair glimmered silver even amidst the dust. Lisianthus had positioned himself in front of her.

"Lisian!"

Startled, Adelaide urgently checked his condition. Fortunately, Lisianthus's face was completely free of even small scratches. However, his expression was chillingly cold.

"Stay still."

A voice so low it induced goosebumps slipped between his beautiful lips.

"Stay still."

Adelaide instinctively closed her mouth. She knew that making any sound might cause him to lose his reason. The fact that she was already this injured would have enraged Lisianthus. The fact that he had waited and endured this long was no small feat.

Instead of adding another word, she peeked out and surveyed where Uriel had been.

The first thing she saw was the blown-out ceiling. From the recent explosion, the ceiling seemed to have completely disappeared, revealing a bright blue sky.

Uriel stood in a place slightly apart from Adelaide, in a bizarre posture. Her eyes were devoid of life, her entire body stained deep red, creating a grotesque appearance.

Next to her, an unidentifiable lifeform was being generated. She had used necromancy again, but the energy emanating was different from the previous corpses. The explosion itself was extraordinary, making it certain that a powerful entity was about to appear.

From the deep darkness, a demon—more precisely, a demon's corpse—emerged.

A middle-aged demon with sharp eyes. The large horns atop his gray hair confirmed his demonic nature.

Gulp. Adelaide swallowed hard.

Though a corpse resurrected through necromancy should be weaker than when alive, the demon before her emanated an overwhelmingly powerful magical energy that was impossible to approach.

"Herman..."

Lisianthus muttered the unfamiliar name with a blank face, seemingly shocked.

"Lisian, do you know this corpse?"

"...Arch-demon Herman. The sole rival of Abaddon and the right-hand man of the previous Demon King."

More remarkable than expected. Adelaide's mouth fell open in shock.

"What?! So Uriel killed such a powerful demon?"

"Abaddon killed Herman. I heard he brought many demons to that battle, so Uriel was likely one of them."

What a despicable move, that Abaddon bastard. Adelaide muttered, completely forgetting her own battle record.

"But is it possible to resurrect an arch-demon through necromancy? That's too underhanded."

"...It's impossible. Not without exhausting all of her life force."

"Which means..."

"Yes. At most, ten minutes. Uriel will die within that time. She seems to have already lost most of her reason."

Holding Lisianthus's clothing, Adelaide watched Uriel. Just as he said, she appeared to be half out of her mind. Spending all her life force to summon an arch-demon—she was truly an extraordinary woman until the very end.

But yet another unexpected event occurred.

When Uriel opened her mouth towards the corpse, the arch-demon's body was instantly sucked inside. Gulp, gulp. Her larynx grotesquely protruded and moved up and down.

Adelaide and the demons of Greenville suppressed silent screams at the horrific scene. The weak-stomached Julliard was nearly fainting.

Uriel absorbed the corpse ravenously, gradually swelling her body. Her small, slender form began to grow larger, eventually transforming into a massive monster.

Adelaide had heard about this phenomenon before.

Berserker state. A condition where all reason is lost, leaving only the instinct to kill. As compensation for spending all life force, one could use several times their original power. Having absorbed an arch-demon's magical energy, Uriel had likely become even stronger.

'Do you really want to meet your end like this?'

Adelaide furrowed her brow, unable to comprehend. Still not fully grasping the situation, she felt more bewildered than afraid.

"I will handle this."

Lisianthus spoke in a low voice. His eyes, still fixed on the monster Uriel had become, were ferocious to the point of being savage.

"Will you be okay? Even you, Lisian, against that..."

"I want to handle this myself."

He cut off Adelaide's words definitively.

"Please allow me."

She didn't deliberate long before nodding. Initially, it wouldn't be easy to escape such a creature, and Lisianthus was the only one who could confront it. She couldn't obstruct him with unnecessary stubbornness.

The moment permission was granted, Lisianthus leaped forward with incredible speed. His movement was so fast that it made his earlier surprise at Uriel's swiftness seem ridiculous.

Black magical energy spread like lightning around him. In his hand, a sword created by his divine power had appeared.

A sword with a presence incomparable to Shawarma's. Adelaide naturally recognized it as an SSS-class divine power like her own.

Particularly large wings suddenly captured her attention. She had seen them before when fighting Lupinus, but now they seemed even more impressive. For a fleeting moment, her pink pupils wavered subtly.

Kwakwang!!

When Lisianthus's magical energy collided with the monster's, an enormous shockwave erupted, causing the castle walls to crumble.

"Everyone, move back!"

Adelaide focused on moving the Greenville demons to safety. Pia was already unconscious, and the other demons were trembling from the intense magical energy.

Having exhausted most of her power in the battle with Uriel, Adelaide herself was on the verge of losing consciousness.

But she couldn't faint before the war was over. After moving everyone to a relatively safe location, she forced her eyes open to watch Lisianthus's fight.

Fortunately, Lisianthus was not overwhelmed by the berserker Uriel. While not suppressing her as easily as when fighting other demons, he managed to defend against the monster's attacks without sustaining significant injuries.

If he continued like this, he could certainly endure until Uriel's life force was depleted. Or he might find an opportunity to sever her neck beforehand.

Phew. Adelaide let out a small sigh of relief.

But unfortunately, it was too soon to relax. A greater challenge was lurking behind her.

"Impudent bitch."

At the suddenly heard voice, Adelaide quickly turned her head. Where the sky had been empty moments ago, a massive demon now stood.

Pitch-black skin and white eyes. A necklace adorned with demons' horns.

Abaddon had finally appeared.

'When did he...?!'

She hadn't sensed his approach at all. As Adelaide became aware of his presence and tried to move, Abaddon's powerful magical energy was released before she could act.

Left behind her subordinate demons, she couldn't even establish a proper defensive stance, merely staring at the powerful force flying towards her. Lisianthus's distant voice seemed to be shouting something.

Am I going to die like this?

The moment she muttered this blankly.

A bright red flame erupted before her eyes.

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